Appliances are getting more and more sophisticated. Which can be fantastic some of the time — but not always. Lately we've been noticing a lot of refrigerator features that seem a little, well... unnecessary!

Is the market getting so competitive that this is what it takes to have the one-up on the other guys? We've noticed the first two when out appliance shopping recently. The last two are new innovations that have yet to hit the shelves or have been released in limited markets:

A built-in door beverage rack.

This has become pretty widespread among the manufacturers: a shallow refrigerator drawer between french doors on top and freezer drawer on the bottom.

A wi-fi refrigerator with built-in digital photo frame.

A built-in coffee maker in the fridge door, right next to the water dispenser.

Our general qualm with all of these is that they're built-in features that don't necessarily enhance the basic performance of the appliance. It will take some great improvement of basic refrigerator functions (i.e. quiet operation, sensible storage, efficient refrigeration and freezing - all while looking good) to reach a point where bells and whistles like these are anywhere near our "must have" list! Do you have any pet-peeve appliance features? Are they things you've noticed on the showroom floor or in your actual appliances at home? Please share below!

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Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and children in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.